


Room for Rent

by casneedsdean (dauntlessinpanem)



Category: Supernatural
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-20
Updated: 2017-10-20
Packaged: 2019-01-20 08:08:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12428529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dauntlessinpanem/pseuds/casneedsdean
Summary: Sam and Charlie are leaving Dean to fend for himself, but not before they find somebody to take up one of the spare bedrooms.





	Room for Rent

**Author's Note:**

> I have had this fic sitting in my google docs for years, i've been in and out of the fandom since then. Ive been finding myself drawn back into at least the shipping side of things and figured i'd finish this, so here we go..

Dean Winchester stood at the sink washing the last of the dinner dishes. It was the kind of work you can do on autopilot and it was just what he needed after a long day in the humid Maryland heat. If only the sun would quit shining through the kitchen window. The rays found their way directly into Dean's eyes as he was loading the last few dishes into the dishwasher, and he grew more and more aggravated. He squinted his eyes to make it a little less bright, but eventually jerked the blinds shut. It was better for a whole five seconds until he realized one of the blinds had snapped under the force. He muttered a string of increasingly offensive curses and angrily threw the last plate into the dishwasher. 

He turned off the water and walked over to the refrigerator. He pulled a beer from its place on the door and untwisted the cap. Dean took a long pull from the bottle, he savoured the bitter taste as it slid down his throat. Exactly what he needed to end the day.

The kitchen was quiet, his brother Sam sat at the kitchen table with his headphones on as he repeated words in Latin. He couldn't figure out why Sam chose Latin of all the languages he could possibly have studied during his own free time. Sam insisted his brain would cease working if he didn't challenge it during the short break between graduation and college. 

"If I lose any IQ points over the summer, they'll kick me out. What if they made a mistake accepting me? ON A SCHOLARSHIP, DEAN. I can't mess this up."

Dean had reassured him at the time that he was the nerdiest kid he ever knew, and that there was no way he was going to get kicked out. Relax, he had told him. Live a little. It was advice he was quick to give but never actually follow through himself, and considering it was given on the way out the door to his second job. Right, relax. What was that again?

Charlie sat at the bar on her laptop, huge headphones on her head, and she was casually bobbing her head in time to whatever music she was listening to. He could only imagine it was something popish and obnoxious. The loud clack of the keyboard filled the otherwise silent kitchen. She was either responding to some ignorant post on one of her many social media accounts or hacking into a government website, he knew better than to ask at this point.

He lavished in the normalcy of the moment. It was easy to get swept away in the annoyance of the day to day, and boy did he get swept away sometimes. Okay, so maybe he was a grumpy asshole 85% of the time. He swallowed the rest of his beer and pulled another one from the fridge. He was happy with his small but important family and the life they made together. It was pretty freakin awesome. He was bummed to see this content chapter of their life was coming to a close and he couldn’t remember a time he was this lonely. Sam was leaving in exactly seven days for California, and it really, really sucked.

He was excited for his brother, honestly he was. Leaving just felt like he was giving up on a promise he made too many years ago. The promise he had been fulfilling every day, and he figured he'd done a good job of it so far. The kid's got a full scholarship to Stanford of all places. He watched as Sam talked with Charlie. All things considered, he'd done a damn good job with what little they had in life.

The moment of contentment passed, just as it always did. He went into full on worry mode. If something happened out there, he'd never be able to forgive himself. He felt like a mama bird who's baby bird was leaving the nest, and it was such a ridiculous thought that he couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up. 

"What the hell, Dean?" Sam shouted as he ripped the ear bud from his ear. He donned a magnificent bitch face, which only made Dean laugh harder. 

Charlie looked up from her screen and surveyed the commotion. She slid the headphones off her ears and eyed Dean suspiciously, "Are you picturing yourself as a mama bird again?"

"Dammit Charlie, how did you know?" Dean said between gasps of air. He clutched his stomach as he tried to even out his breathing. Another glance at Charlie and they both laughed even harder. 

"Really Dean, a mama bird? It's bad enough you interrogate every girl I've brought home. You are most definitely not a mama bird," Sam complained, his face was practically a tomato. 

"I'm the closest thing you got to a mama bird Sammy, and I take my job very seriously," Dean said as he reached up to rumple the brown mop atop Sam's head. He made small bird noises at his scowling little brother.

Sam swatted his hand away, "Seriously Dean. Stop. You are being ridiculous right now."

Dean held his hands up in surrender. He was going to miss his brother more than he would ever admit. 

"No need to worry mama bird, this big bird over here will be well watched over," Charlie reassured him. 

Oh, right. She was leaving too, and to think he forgot, if only for a second. She'd be crazy not to go. It was an offer for the job of her dreams at one of the top tech companies, fixing security breaches and updating code. It put her extensive code and hacking knowledge to work. They offered her a six figure paycheck and a great apartment. She deserved it. She was pretty much a genius. 

"I know you won't let him get into any trouble," Dean said. 

"I'll be too busy with coursework that I won't have time for trouble. I'll be home on breaks and over the summer. Besides, do you think Charlie would let anything untoward happen at the apartment?" Sam asked him. 

Dean considered this for a minute. He looked over at Charlie, "She absofuckinloutely would, you do remember drunk karaoke right?"

"People only do karaoke when they're drunk, Dean."

"Whaaatever you say Sammy, all I'm saying is you better stay out of trouble," Dean said, he was smiling but Sam knew he really meant it. 

"We really need to get the roommate listing posted, we leave next week and you have to have someone in at least one of the rooms before next month," Charlie said.

Dean groaned, he had been putting this off for weeks. He didn't relish in the fact that he needed a complete stranger to move in to make rent. Sure, he was a sociable guy, some may even go as far as to say charming, but he did not mesh well in his private space with most people. Charlie being the exception. Sam obviously was a given. How many people would be cool with you watching Dr. Sexy marathons in your bathrobe on the scarce day off? He couldn't think of anyone.

"Do I really need to? I'm keeping both jobs, I could probably make the rent by myself," he whined.

"You can't spend all your time working Dean. Quit the security job. You make enough working at Bobby's with a roommate. Live your life Dean. We will help you find the perfect person. We gotta find someone to replace the awesomeness that is me and Sam. Nearly impossible task, but between the three of us I think we can manage."

Sam nodded enthusiastically in agreement. Dean looked at them both and begrudgingly agreed as well. 

Charlie sat down at the bar in the kitchen and booted up Dean's laptop. Dean drug the barstool across the floor, and she looked at him with a questioning eyebrow raised. He had to find a roommate, but he didn't have to be happy about it.

"What's that look for?" Dean asked as he finally slid into the seat.

"Come on Dean, you need to have a new roommate before the first of next month. I hate that we're leaving as much as you do, and I know, even though you'd never admit it, how much it actually hurts that we won't be here everyday. Me and Sam both love you," she studied his face as she spoke.

"I know," he said simply, and gave her a knowing smile. He was glad she understood him.

"So," he gestured to the computer, "what the hell should we write on this dumb ad?”

"Single white male, long eyelashes, firm bottom…” Charlie said, affecting a southern drawl.

Sam, who had been standing quietly on the other side of the bar, happened to take a sip at the exact moment Charlie spoke. He spit iced tea everywhere, immediately followed by a loud, bellowing laugh. 

Dean settled a look of warning between the two, "Can you guys be serious? You were just telling me that I need to take this seriously."

"Okay, okay fine," Charlie looked at Sam and they both burst into laughter for a second time. 

Dean sighed. These two were gonna be the death of him. 

Charlie stood up and paced around the kitchen. She tried to smother the giggles with her hand. Dean watched as she paced, back and forth. Sam was doing nothing to hide his amusement. 

"I can't do this without you guys," Dean reminded them. He really couldn't, if he could he would have waited til they left and just not bothered getting a roommate. He knew the look on his face screamed ‘stop laughing or I'll kill you both right here.’

Charlie looked at Sam and held a finger to her lips in a weak attempt to hush their laughter. She straightened and sat back down on the stool next to him.

"Sure you can," she said as she turned to face him with the cockiest smile she could manage, "but why would you want to?"

Room for Rent - Waldorf, MD

My giant moose of a kid brother and my insanely gorgeous lesbian best friend are leaving me to fend for myself in our small three bedroom apartment. I work entirely too much; i'm a mechanic by day and a security guard by night. 

The room for rent isn't the biggest, but it will fit a decent size bed, a small dresser and a desk. Plus it has a closet for storage. Also included: a shared bathroom, kitchen, and living spaces. A good sized backyard with grill and fire pit. You will be welcome to all areas of the house.

In the words of my two favorite people I'm "a huge dork, I cook delicious burgers, I'm in love with Dr. Sexy, and family is the most important thing to me."

So in short, cool guy looking for a cool roommate. Rent is $650 due at the first of every month. No deposit required. Must be LGBT friendly, must love Netflix binges and must love burgers.

"Perfect!" Charlie grinned. She was so satisfied with the posting that it radiated off of her. 

"Hopefully it doesn't attract any serial killers." Dean half joked. 

"I highly doubt that Dean," Sam said, as his face contorted into one of the best bitch faces of recent memory, "that's honestly one of the dumbest things I've ever heard."

"Hey!" Dean protested, "You hear about that all the time! It won't be dumb when you fools come home from California and you find me dead in a closet."

Sam deadpanned, "Like you'd let someone put you back in the closet."

Charlie lost it, "Oh my god Sam! You're so right. It only took three years to get him to finally admit it. No way he's going back in anytime soon. Serial killers be damned."

"You guys are the worst."

"It's fine, I promise it's fine. Let's add an addendum." She pulled open the listing to edit, " There all fixed."

Dean scanned the listing and noticed a PS. added to the bottom: 'Serial killers need not apply.' He rolled his eyes but a blush crept into his cheeks, "I was just joking."

"Of course you were. Who knows, maybe the love of your life will respond." Dean noticed the sly grin she shot in Sam's direction. His annoyance faded into an overwhelming fondness. He didn't know what he would do without them. 

"We will be back to visit, you know that right?" Sam reassured him.

"Aaaaand," Charlie added, "you will be visiting us too."

The look on his face was nothing short of sheer terror, which sent them both into hysterics. The first and only time Dean rode on plane he spent the entire flight breathing into a paper bag and quietly humming Metallica. He’d nearly kissed the ground when they got off that flying death trap. Traveling by car was the way to go. Just the thought of it sent a shiver through him. 

"Flying??? No fucking way. I'd sooner drive baby cross country." 

"Any excuse to get that beloved Impala of yours on the open road," Charlie teased. 

"We did practically lived in that thing as kids, I can't imagine why he'd want to spend any more time in it than he needs to," Sam pointed out. 

"Sasquatch is half right," Dean said. He thought of all the times their Dad drug them out of bed in the middle of the night to track down the arsonist responsible for their mother's death. His life's defining moment happened when he was just four years old, carrying his baby brother from their burning childhood home. 

If you could call it that. They’d barely had a childhood.

Sam the intuitive little shit as always, pulled him back from the edge he was about to step off of, "there's a wide variety of local wildlife in California."

Dean smiled and clapped his brother on the back, "Yes there is, Sammy my boy! That may be extra incentive to bring my ass out there sooner rather than later."

"Guys look! A response already to the ad!!" Charlie said in between excited shrieks. Dean leaned closer to the screen to make sure she was actually being serious.

"Are you fucking kidding me? That was fast. Like, really fast." Dean was nervous, this really was happening. He’d lived in hotels, with random people his Dad met along the road, but this was their home and inviting some random person to live in it was not exactly his idea of a good time.

"Ahem," Charlie began, "’I'm writing in reply to your ad for a room for rent. I'll admit I'm pretty desperate. I just got offered a position at a local TV station in DC, but rent in the city is more than I can afford right now. I know this is short notice, but I have to be there before Monday or I forfeit the position. I am available later tonight for a phone or Skype interview if you'd like to talk more. -Castiel Milton.’"

"Castiel?" Dean asked for clarification.

"One Mr. Castiel Milton. That's what it says," she clarified.

"Definitely the name of a serial killer."

Charlie laughed, "Dean, stop. Seriously man, how do you want to proceed?"

He thought for a moment, "Skype, I need to practice using it for when you guys leave me." 

He sniffled, pretending that he was about to cry before a shit eating grin found it’s way to his face. 

"Bring it in, Jerk." Sam said, stretching out his ridiculously long arm and pulling Dean in for a hug.

"Of course, bitch." Dean said as he hugged his only brother.

"Awww my boys," Charlie said and she wrapped her arms around them both. Sam squirmed in between them trying to wiggle his way out of the hug. Dean pulled them both in tighter. The end of an era, he didn't see how the sequel could measure up to the original.


End file.
